Trading Sugar for Sparkles in Adolescents, A Sensory Approach for Reducing Added Sugar From Sweetened Beverages

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether replacing sugary sodas with unsweetened, flavored sparkling waters can reduce added sugar intake and improve health in Black/African American and Latine adolescents with obesity who prefer sweet-tasting beverages. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does replacing sugary sodas with water change liking for sugary drinks, and water? * Do shifts in liking for sweetness lead to improved diet quality and cardiometabolic health? Researchers will compare replacing sugary sodas with one of three alternative beverages: unsweetened sparkling water, plain water, and beverages with gradually reduced sugar to determine which strategy is most effective. Participants will: * Replace sugary sodas with study drinks for 4 weeks * Complete taste tests to measure their liking for and sensory experience of sweetness over 8-weeks * Provide dietary recalls, body measurements, and blood samples over 8-weeks

Description

Eligibility

Age range

12–18 years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Unsweetened Sparkling Water Replacement

  Participants replace all sugar-sweetened sodas with flavored, unsweetened sparkling waters for 4 weeks.

• Behavioral
  Progressively Reduced Sugar Beverage Replacement

  Participants replace sugary sodas with beverages containing gradually decreasing sugar concentrations (weekly), ending with unsweetened sparkling water.

• Behavioral
  Plain Water Replacement

  Participants replace all sugar-sweetened sodas with plain, still water for 4 weeks. This serves as a comparator to evaluate sensory and metabolic changes.

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